; "Leave me alone," she groaned before pulling the cover up over her head and sighing as the warmth stayed with her.

; "Damn it, Whitney get the hell up!" Emily said frustrated at how hard this was turning out to be. She glanced at the clock before walking over to the door and throwing it open, smiling when she saw Joey walking down the hall. "Hey, Joe..can you do me a huge favor?"

; "What do you need?" he asked as he came closer to the door holding a doughnut.

;

"Can you wake Whitney up for me? She's being a pain and won't get up," she said as she moved aside so he could enter. She ended up holding his doughnut as she watched in amusement as he picked up Whitney, with the comforter wrapped around her, and took her out into the hallway, dumping her smack in the middle of it. "Thank you, Joey," she said before smiling at Whitney who was shooting her an evil look.

; "I'm tired! That was so uncalled fore," Whitney said as she watched the doors open around her. Justin walked out and started laughing when he saw her sitting there in the middle of the floor with her hair going everywhere. "This isn't funny," she snapped before getting up and running into the room, slamming the door shut. Emily sat on her bed and laughed as Whitney grabbed the clothes that she had laid out from the previous night before walking into the bathroom and slamming the door. There was a knock on the door which caused her laughter to stop.

; She pulled it open and smiled when she saw JC standing there, holding a bagel in his right hand. "What can I do for you, JC?"

; "I was wondering if you'd like to go for a quick walk with me before your plane leaves."

; "I'd really like to and it will help pass the time while Whitney gets ready," she told him as she shut the door and walked down the hall on his left side. "What are your plans for when the tour ends?"

; "I don't really know," he told her shrugging as he pondered on what she had asked. "We'll probably take a few weeks off and then start working on a new album. The process always seems to repeat itself."

; "That could be a bad thing," she said softly as they stepped out of the elevator and looked around the hotel lobby that was full of guests that were either checking in or getting ready to leave.

; They walked around the inside of the lobby a few times before deciding it was time to head back up to their rooms because they were getting some strange looks from hotel employees. "Em..I just want to let you know that if you ever need someone to talk to or if you just ever need to get away, I'll do my best to help you out," he told her softly as they rode up in the elevator alone.

; "Thanks, JC," she said before reaching over and hugging him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. She felt a comfort with JC that she hadn't felt with anyone else, not even Stephanie or Whitney and it was something that made her want to experience it on a deeper level, but the confusing thing was, she didn't know what this new feeling was. <hr> Cait groaned when she heard a knock on her door and she prayed that whoever it was would go away and leave her alone so she wouldn't have to leave the warmth of her bed. Her prayers weren't answered because the knocking went from a light tapping to a full out banging. "HANG ON!"

; She mumbled things as she pulled her hair into a ponytail and opened the door. "What do you want?" she asked as she squinted to make out the figure in front of her. She groaned when she realized that it was Justin. "What the hell do you want?"

; "I just thought I'd come and wake you up so you could tell Emily and Whitney bye."

; "You're the devil," she told him before making a move to shut the door, only to stop when the door hit his foot.

; "Now why would you be wanting to shut the door in my face? I just came up here to see what happened last night because I'm the concerned person that you know and love," he said sweetly and laughed when she rolled her eyes.

; "You're not sweet and considerate, you're just too damn nosey for your own good."

; "You really need to work on your morning skills," he said as he pushed into the room and plopped down on the bed.

; "OK, so you found me out. But really,Cait, what happened last night between you and Joey?"

; "Well we went to the award show with you, then we went to the same after party as you, and then we came back here where nothing happened. Sorry to burst your bubble, but NOTHING happened," she cried to him before plopping down on the bed beside him. "I wanted something to happen, but did I get my wish..no."

; "Someone sounds sexually frustrated," he joked as he sat up on the bed and looked at the clock.

; "That's not even that half of it. When you get rejected it makes you feel like shit and the only thing that helps is getting to sleep in..but did I get to do that, no..some whinny brat had to come and wake me up just so he could be nosey."

; He stood up and held up his hands in defense. "Hey..don't put all the blame on me. You know you'll end up loving me again."

; "Whatever," she mumbled as he walked out of the room, shutting her door gently. She laid back down on the bed and shut her eyes, hoping that a sleepy feeling would be what she experienced. It was starting to happen when there was another knock on her door. "Damn it!"

; She threw the door open, expecting to see Justin standing there again, but was surprised to see Joey standing there holding a pink rose. He stretched it out to her before kissing her cheek quickly and walking into the room as she stood there too stunned to move. She shook her head before shutting the door and walking further in the room to see him stretched out in the same position and place that Justin had previously been in.

; "Good morning, sunshine," Joey said cheerfully as he patted the spot next to him. "Did you sleep well?"

; "Why is everyone so damn cheerful?"

; "Someone had a bad night," he said as she laid down beside him. His hand reached up and stroked her hair gently as she snuggled closer to his warm body.

; "I had a wonderful night last night, it just could have been better if you would have stayed with me."

; "Baby," he began softly but stopped when her lips closed over his a few times. "That's a nice way to shut me up."

; "I thought you might like it," she said as she looked over at the clock. "I've got to go get in the shower...are you gonna wait on me or head back to your room?"

; "I guess I'll crash here until you're done, then say bye to the girls and then go for an exciting sound check."

; She kissed him deeply before standing up and grabbing a pair of jeans and a tank top. "I will try to hurry."

; "That won't happen," he mumbled as he reached for the remote and turned the TV on. He flipped it over to MTV and sighed when he heard "NSYNC" mentioned. He didn't turn it though because it was always interesting to see what type of rumors they were going to start now. It was something that all of the guys were use to and it provided a distraction from him thinking of her in the shower.

; "Cause...I just can't do that."

; He took a big drink of his milk before taking her hand and rubbing his thumb across the back of it. "You can do anything that you want."

; "Justin..just trust me. Its better if I don't stay here with you. We have fun together, but we can't grow attached because we don't know how things are going to go for us."

; "Whitney," he began but she jerked her hand away from him and slid out of the booth they were sitting in.

; "There's no need to have this conversation, Justin. I can't stay and we both know that," she told him firmly before walking out of the restaurant, leaving him sitting there in confusion.

; He wasn't going to let her shoot down this topic so easily. He threw some money down on the table before running out of the restaurant and catching up with her at the elevators. "I refuse to accept your answer."

; "Justin...you'd make things a lot simpler if you would," she said as she sighed. "I don't know how to explain it to you."

; "You're going to have to try because I'm not letting you on that plane until you at least try and let me know why you won't stay and give us a try. We have fun together, we're good in bed together, and I know you enjoy being around me, just like I enjoy being around you. I don't see what the problem is, Whitney."

; "Its just not so simple, Justin. We can't jump into something purely because its not meant to be."

; "How do you know its not meant to be?" he persisted as he pulled her back as she was about to step on the elevator.

; "I just do, Justin. You're famous..I'm a small town girl that's not mean to make it out of that small town that I grew up in. We can't even pretend that things would be OK if I stayed."

; He started laughing before reaching over and hugging her tightly to his body. "No one is going to mind, Whitney," he said as he pulled back and looked at her seriously. "If you want to stay..then you can stay."

; "I have responsibilites back home, Justin."

; "This could be your one chance to break free from that small town. Why don't you take a chance, Whitney? That's what life is all about."

; "I can't take this chance, Justin. I couldn't go back home because everyone knows that if you're lucky enough to get out of South Carolina, you shouldn't come back. It would be humiliating to go back," she said as she pressed the elevator key again.

; "I meant what I said, Whitney. Take a chance.."

; "I can't," she told him before getting into the elevator and keeping her eyes off of him until the door shut. As she rode up, she closed her eyes and hoped that he understood why she couldn't take a chance. There was too many things that could go wrong, but there were those few things that could go right that kept tempting her. He was right, this was her one chance to leave the small town that she despised. She couldn't stand it there, and she had always insisted to her friends and family that if she was ever given the chance to leave, she'd take it without looking back. But now, she was older and understood how things worked in the world. "I'm sorry, Justin," she whispered before her mind made a permanent decision. She wouldn't end up like her mother who had left South Carolina, only to return because of situations that Whitney still didn't understand today.

; "I'm taking by what you said that she's not in here right now?"

; "I thought she was with you," Emily said as she moved aside so he could come in.

; "Em...I need you to tell me about her...what she was like growing up and about her family. There's something holding her back and I want to know what it is. I tried to get her to stay on the tour with me, but she won't do it, saying that it wasn't meant to be...Emily, what's she saying?"

; Emily sighed knowing that this wasn't her place to discuss things. "If you want to know, you're going to have to ask her."

; "Please, Em..tell me," he said as he looked into her eyes.

; "Whitney's Mom didn't exactly have an easy childhood. She was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to leave South Carolina, and she took it, only to return pregnant and alone. From what Whitney told me, she met a guy that was in a band that was just getting started, and they clicked...which in a way, I guess it reminds her of how you guys are getting along. She's probably afraid that she'll end up like her mother."

; Justin sat there silent for a moment before shaking his head. "I still don't understand. She insists that she wants to leave, but she won't."

; "Justin..words aren't as strong as actions. She's scared and has every reason to be."

; He finally understood everything now. He kissed Emily on the cheek before sprinting from the bed he had been sitting on and running out the door. She chuckled before getting up and walking over so she could close the open door. This had certainly been an interesting two days, and even as it was coming to an end, it seemed to get even more interesting.

; *An hour later*

; "I'm going to miss you," JC said as he hugged Emily in the airport. "Remember, if you need me, call."

"I will, JC..and the same goes for you," she said before turning and hugging the rest of the guys good bye. She was starting to worry about Whitney and Justin because the two of them hadn't shown up at the airport yet. Their plane was scheduled to leave at any time and it was coming down to the wire. She stopped at Lance before smiling as he held out a bag of Hershey kisses. "Let me guess..these aren't for me to eat on the plane, but they're for me to give to Steph."

; "You've got it," he said before hugging her. "Thank you for doing me such a huge favor on such a short notice."

; "Anytime, Lance."

; The announcement came that her flight was ready to leave just as Whitney and Justin came sprinting through the airport. "EMILY," Whitney cried as she ran up to her.

; "I know, Whitney..you're not coming back."

; She blushed before nodding her head. "I'll be back to visit..but I'm going to stay with them for this week and see what happens."

; "I knew you would. I've got to go," she said before hugging her tighlty. "Call me and let me know how things go."

; "You know I will," she said as she leaned into Justin and watched her grab her carry on and walk towards the stewardess that was taking up tickets. The five of them stayed until they couldn't see the plane anymore. Cait and Joey had said their good byes at the hotel because there wasn't any room in the van for more people.

; "So you're gonna be a groupie?" Chris asked her as they walked out of the airport, surrounded by a few security guards.

; She shrugged before reaching up and pinching his cheek. "If you want to think of me as a groupie, go ahead..just don't expect anything from me, and Chris you know what I'm talking about."

; "Oh shot down," Lance said as he climbed into the van.

; "She wants me," Chris replied before licking his lips. "How can you resist this sexy hunk of flesh?"

; "Very easily," she smirked as she climbed in the van, followed by Justin. Everyone laughed as the van started and pulled away from the airport.

; Emily sat her stuff down on the floor before smiling. "She's staying up there for the rest of this week to see if she wants to become a groupie, I guess that's what you'd call it..anyways..I think she's found her way out."

; Stephanie reached down and picked up Emily's carry on before walking over to claim the rest of Emily's luggage. "I'm glad that you're back. Its boring working the diner by myself, and Mr. Jenkins got his daughter to help out..the girl is so lazy!"

; "In other words, you worked lunch hour by yourself for two days?"

; "You've got it..I don't think I've ever been so tired in my life!" Stephanie said dramatically causing both of them to laugh. "Anyways..lets get you home."

; "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

; Once they reached her house, Emily felt chills come up on her body as she looked at the front door. "Thanks, Steph. I'll call you later," she said as she got out of the car and grabbed her bags.

; "Maybe I should go in there with you so he doesn't jump on you as soon as you walk in the door."

; "Remember..he's changed," Emily said as she smiled a fake smile. "I'll see you later."

; Stephanie reluctantly put the car in reverse and drove off. Emily waited until the car was completely out of sight before taking a deep breath and walking to the door, setting her bags down on the porch so she could get her keys out. Once she had the door open, she cautiously walked in and looked around for any sign of Riley. She could see the back of him sitting in the recliner that was in front of the TV. "Riley," she called out softly.

; When she walked over to him, she smiled gently when she saw that he was asleep. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, alerting him out of sleep. She looked into his eyes when they opened before smiling brightly at him. "I'm home."

; He just looked at her a few minutes before smiling back at her. "I missed you," he whispered before pulling her into his lap. He kissed her gently before smiling at her. "How was the trip? I saw you on TV and you looked beautiful."

; "New York is certainly something that everyone needs to experience. There are so many people there, Riley," she said as her eyes lit up with excitement as she recalled everything. "I don't believe I've ever experienced anything like it."

; "Was this guy surprised to see you there?"

; She noted the way he said guy, but shook it off before nodding her head. "Yeah..I guess he was. Whitney didn't come back."

; "Didn't figure she would," he mumbled before sighing when her eyes narrowed at her. "She's just like her mother, and is going to end up like her."

; "Riley, don't say that!" Emily said, climbing off his lap and starring with disbelief at him. "She's my friend, and at one time, she was yours and I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't talk that way about her!"

; "The truth hurts, Em..you can't tell me that you don't see the resemblance."

; "I can't believe you're sitting here saying that. I won't let you put her down like that.."

"Come off it, Emily. I'm not going to argue with you about this, but you know I'm right. She'll come crawling back to this town and you and I both know it!"

Emily rolled her eyes before grabbing her suitcase and walking to her bedroom. "We're dropping this. Have you ate?"

"Yes, I've ate, Emily. I'm going to go over to Roger's and watch the game. I'll be home later," he yelled to her before she heard the front door shut. She sat down on the bed and sighed. He still hadn't completely changed like she had hoped, and she needed to know if he was going to. She didn't want to wait and see what happened, she wanted to know now.

; "I'm happy doing what we are now."

"Lets go do something fun," she said pulling on his hand so he would get up. He groaned before finally standing up and stretching.

"Why must we leave the comfort of this hotel room?"

"You're about to ride on a bus for hours, and I thought it might be nice for us to go do something that way you can get some type of exercise," she said as she grabbed her room key and waited for him at the door. "And I have to go back to Orlando after the next stop and I won't see you again until you guys come back."

"Why can't you stay with us until the promo is over?" he asked her as he walked out into the hall.

"I have things to do for other acts..remember, Joey..I don't work for NSYNC, I work for Johnny and what he tells me to do, I have to do."

"Cait," he began to whine as he started to pout. "I don't want you to go back yet."

"Tough," she told him as she reached up and pinched his cheek. "You're a grown boy and I'm sure you can handle being away from me for a whole week."

Once they were down in the lobby, they found a security guard and walked out into the crowded street. "Where exactly do you want to go?"

"Lets go to the Empire State Building. I've never been there and I wanna go!" Cait said as excitement over took her voice.

"I think you should get Chris to go there with you," Joey joked as they flagged down a taxi.

"You're mean to him. He can't help it if he's scared of heights."

"I was just joking around," he said before turning and giving directions to the driver. After he was through he looked at Lonnie the security guard that had came with them. "Can you scoot over any? I'm squashed here between you and Cait..I don't mind being next to Cait, but damn Lonnie..you're just not my type."

"Shut it," Lonnie replied before scooting over as close to the door as he could get. "I hate being around you," he mumbled jokingly.

"You know you love me..everyone in here loves me. Even the little cab driver."

"I'm not little," the foreign man's voice replied.

Cait couldn't stop from laughing as Joey's face began to blush. "You were busted. You dont' have a very soft voice, so it carries."

"Thank you for informing me of that, Cait."

"Hey no problem," she said as she turned her head so she could look out the window. "Look..there it is..damn..that thing is huge!"

"Of course it is," Joey replied. "Oww."

"Don't make fun of me."

"Don't hit me!" he said as he rubbed his shoulder. He looked at Lonnie and pointed at her. "She's being mean to me..aren't you suppose to protect me from this type of stuff?"

"I could care less. Kick his ass girl!"

They paid the cab driver before walking up and standing in the line to get in. "How much are tickets?"

"I don't know..but I have permission to kick your ass," Cait said as she grinned at him evily. "I might just have to throw you off of the top."

"Did you know that if you throw a penny from up there and it hits someone in the head, it could kill them?"

"Lonnie..I mean this in a good way..don't talk," Joey joked before looking up in the air.

"How can you possibly mean that in a good way. You're insulting the guy saying that he has nothing intelligent to say, but you mean it in a good way?" Cait asked as she looked at him skeptically. "You didn't even stop to think about what you were saying, did you?"

Joey blushed before mumbling something that neither Cait or Lonnie could understand. She winked at Lonnie before poking Joey in the side to get him to look at her. "Are you going to stand here on the sidewalk, or are you actually going to come in with me?"

"I'm coming," he told her before taking her hand. Once they had made it up to the top, all three of them were taken back by the beauty of being up high and being able to see a lot of New York at one time. "This is amazing," he whispered to her before wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder.

"I come up with wonderful ideas."

"Someone's conceited."

"Whatever," she told him before turning around in his arms and kissing him lightly. "I can now say that I've kissed someone on the Empire State Building."

"What's so great about that?" he asked her as he motioned to Lonnie signaling that they were ready to leave.

"Do you know many people who can say that?"

"Not really..no one has really ever come up to me and said 'Hey Joe, guess what I made out with a chick at the Empire State Building'."

"You're a real smart-ass," she informed him as the elevator made its way down to the ground floor.

"You know you love every word that comes out of my mouth."

"You're so right," she sighed before climbing into the taxi that Lonnie had flaged down. "You're so right it kinda scares me."

Whitney looked out the window as the tour bus made its way down the lonely highway that was sparsely populated at night. Her mind was in overdrive with thoughts of if she was doing the right thing, or if she had made a huge mistake. She rested her head against the huge window and sighed as she fought to grasp some type of hold on the ideas that were swimming around in her brain.

"Can't sleep?" JC asked as he came into the living room area of the bus.

"Something like that."

"You know..food always helps you get to sleep," he joked as he opened the cabinet and retrieved a Swiss Roll.

"But eating this late at night isn't good for you," she told him as he sat down beside her on the couch. "It makes you fat..and JC..let me tell you..you need to lay off the sweets."

He poked himself in the stomach before sighing. "I know..I keep telling myself that I'm going to give them up, but they've got a hold on me like I've never experienced."

She chuckled before turning her attention back to the window. "Do you ever get lonely on here?"

"You've only been on here a few hours and you're already tired of it?"

"No..not exactly. But it seems like a lonely enviornment..does it ever get to you?"

"In the beginning it did, but now its kind of a comfort. Its something normal for us. We're use to doing a show and running back to here to shut out the screams and flashes of cameras."

She nodded her head in understandment of what he was saying. The two of them fell quiet, each silently and carefully studing the other. Whitney looked over and JC and could easily tell that he was confused on something and was fighting to gain control of it, just as she was with her situation. "You like her, don't you?"

JC's head jerked up as he narrowed his eyes at her. "Who are you talking about?"

"Em..you fell for her. I can see it, JC."

"How can you judge me when we've never really sat down and talked. I haven't fallen for anyone," he said defensively before throwing away his trash. "I don't see how you can gather that."

"You're very easy to read, JC.."

"I am not."

"I won't argue with you, but I know the truth and that's all that matters."

"While we're making assumptions about each other, let me assume something about you. You've fallen for Justin, haven't you?"

"I don't know what I feel towards him," she sighed before narrowing her eyes. "Why are you so quick to change the subject."

"Before you go and start examening other people's thoughts and problems, maybe you should look at your own. You don't know what you feel for Justin, but you know that you're ready to help me come to terms with what I feel for Emily."

"Its not as simple as you think."

"Tell me about it, but towards me, you're acting like it should be the simpliest thing to admit."

"Fine..I'll admit that I shouldn't judge your feelings when I'm confused over my own, but I still don't understand why you're so defensive. You know you like her...its reflecting in your eyes. Tell me something, JC..do you find her captivating? Do you find her unique? Are you coming to find out that you guys share some of the same common interests as the other?"

"Tell me something, Whitney," he said as he bent down in front of her, his eyes flashing with a tone of anger and shock. "Are you starting to wonder if sex from Justin is enough, or are you starting to want more from him..like his love?"

She pushed against his chest before jumping up and glaring at him. "You're speaking to me as if I'm a whore."

"You're speaking to me as if I'm the stupidest person in the world."

"I am not!" she cried to him as her hands stayed firmly planted on her hips.

"Ok..not the stupidest but you're talking to me like a child."

"Children can be smart creatures."

"Its not necessary."

"Sometimes it takes being provoked to figure out what's going on in someone's life. Maybe you need to be pushed, JC..tell me..have you started to wonder what it would be like to have Em kiss you with love in her heart?"

"Tell me something, Whitney, have you started to wonder what it would feel like to be kissed by Justin with love?"

"You aren't even original. You have to copy me with everything I say."

"No I dont," he said as he walked towards her. "It just seems to fit both of our situations."

"Whatever, JC."

"Let me ask you something else..would it make you feel better about what you're doing if Justin touched you with loving hands? And held love in his eyes instead of hunger?"

"Stop referring to me as a whore," she said as her hands clenched to control her anger. "I will not stand here and allow you to talk to me that way."

"You haven't made a move to end this conversation...why don't you walk out of here, or do you know that I'm right? Am I hitting at a sensative subject?"

"Damn you JC," she said before running out of the living room area and to her bunk, where the tears finally fell. She peeked into Justin's bunk and sighed when she saw him sleeping peacefully. As she crawled into hers, she was angry at JC, but at the same time, she had needed to be pushed. With each tear that fell on her pillow, hope and understandment took its place.

Chapter Ten